The Most Frightening Thing Is....

"Then, there are those greedy monsters, those super politicians, those politicians on steroids, sworn and determined to wreck havoc on the middleclass in favor of their rich friends and well heeled lobbyists," said John with even more anger. "They receive all expense paid free vacations, I mean, sorry, junket trips for research, of course, in the way we receive a free pen at the bank. These politicians are the worst of all the professional politicians. They are called Republicans."

"I hate Republicans more than I hate the New York Yankees and now the Texas Rangers," said Bob. "Wait, free trips? When I can't even afford the transit fare to take a train into the city, why do my elected representatives receive all expense paid free trips for them and their wives? Are you kidding me? I thought we elected them to work in Washington and not to run off to Bali?"

"Let me ask you this," said John. "Other than a cough and a cold or a bad batch of STDs, when's the last time anyone gave you anything for free? When was the last time anyone gave you an all expense paid, free trip? Being a politician is like winning the lottery daily. Being a politician is like being a rock star without needing to sing. By making laws that are for everyone but them, being a politician is having your cake and eating it, too."

"Oh, my God, now that you mention it, I got a bad case of the clap, when I got with Cynthia from the old neighborhood," said Bob scratching himself.

"Yet, I don't care so much about what all our elected officials have and what they are given. Good for them, if they can receive free stuff by always leaving out their hand and grabbing whatever they can get. What pisses me off is what the rest of us don't have and all that we're begrudged," said John. "Truth be told, politicians don't want any of us to have anything. In the way that Bush Jr. and his billionaire pal, the United States Treasurer, Paulson, opened the Treasury doors for all their buddies and passed out billions of dollars without even recording who received how much, they want to hoard all of our money for themselves and for their cronies."

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it, when they did that, even though everyone was clamoring not to bail out the banks," said Bob. "The fact that Bush and Paulson passed out all that money and didn't even account for any of it is criminal. Why weren't they arrested? Why aren't they in jail?"

"Now the Republicans point the finger at Obama because of the deficit, when they gave all our money away to banks and insurance companies, as if bonuses for putting us in a recession. The Republicans are the ones who got us into another war we can't win. The Republicans are the one who spent trillions of our tax dollars to benefit other countries, instead of spending that money here at home to give us all jobs," said John.

"I wish I had a job," said Bob. "It's been years, since I brought home a weekly paycheck."

"It's not Obama's fault. Bush was in office for 8 years wreaking his havoc, taking care of himself, and enriching his friends. Bush was the one who started the war with Iraq because of weapons of mass destruction he never found. Bush was the one who passed out all the undocumented TARP money, while Obama was the one who was trying to control what was going out the door," said John.

"Unbelievable," said Bob.

"Moreover, his father, Bush Sr., was in office for 12 years, 8 years as Vice President and 4 years as President. We, the middleclass, have suffered for 20 years under the Bush regime. It's no surprise we're in a recession with those two greedy bastards at the helm. When our graves were already dug by twenty years of Bushes, how is our plight Obama's fault? How can we expect Obama to fix in 3 years, all that it took the Bushes and a Republican House and Senate to do in 20 years?"

"If you ask me," said Bob, "I think Obama is doing a good job."

"Trust me, what I'm saying will make a lot of Republican loyalist angry, especially when they are so quick to point their fingers at Obama for all the jobs he promised but didn't deliver. Yet, let me ask you this, Bob," said John.

"Ask me what?"

"What happened to all those jobs the Republicans promised us for decades by us not taxing big business, oil, insurance, and pharmaceutical companies, those companies who can more than afford to pay their fair share? Where are those newly created jobs that they've been promising us for 40 years, if we don't raise taxes on big business? They said if we taxes big business that would surely stop job growth? Truth be told, we didn't raise taxes on big business and truth be told they didn't create any new jobs. We're still waiting for those jobs to be created and it's been 40 years of Republican lies," said John.

"The check is in the mail and I won't cum in your mouth, it just goes to show that we can't trust the Republicans," said Bob.

"What big business did, instead of creating jobs was to tighten their belts and increase their profits by laying off American employees and hiring and training foreign employees to replace them at a fraction of the American wages. Along with hundreds of other top companies, there's no secret that General Electric is guilty of doing just that, closing their plants in the United States and moving them to Brazil, India, and other countries all over the world."

"Jobs my ass," said Bob picking up on John's insightfulness and angry tone. "The only thing the Republican tax breaks created were mega million dollar bonuses for their top management, at the expense of the rest of us. The only other thing that the Republican tax breaks create are lucrative lobbying jobs for politicians, when we finally vote them out of office and pry their greedy hands away from the money trough. Anyone who isn't earning more than $250,000 a year and votes a Republican in office is a moron and deserves what happens to them."

"Herman Cain, a Republican running for President, wants to eliminate all deductions and loopholes in the present tax laws. It sounds like a good idea on the surface, that is, until you scratch the surface and dig deeper to see who will profit from his new tax laws and who will suffer from them," said John. "He wants a flat 9% income tax for all individuals, even though the middleclass pays, on average, less than 8% now. He wants to raise the sales tax to 9%, even though we all pay much less in sales tax now with some states paying no sales tax. Then, he wants to tax corporate America a flat 9%, even though many corporations pay more than that now."

"What's wrong with this guy? Is he crazy? Is he drunk?" Bob shook his fist with a sudden rage.

"Guess who will be subsidizing his tax plan? The middleclass," said John answering his own question. "Guess who will be paying more taxes, instead of less? The middleclass. Guess who will be paying less in taxes? Let's just say that under his tax plan the rich will get richer and the poor will be poorer."

"That's just not fair," said Bob.

"It sounds good. It sounds fair, but after closer examination, the middleclass will pay even more in taxes than what we pay now, while the big corporations will pay less."

"Bastards, dirty bastards," said Bob. "Bitches, dirty bitches."

"Yet, with big business backing him to create spin ads that the average middleclass worker will misconstrue, misinterpret, and misunderstand, they'll think that Herman Cain is on their side and working for them, the average man and woman, when he's not. Sadly and unfortunately, with the middleclass looking for someone to champion their causes and to help their plight, they are willing to cast their hope to anyone, Democrat or Republican, it doesn't matter, so long as they can get a job. Unfortunately, Cain's proposal is a crazy enough idea to get him elected. Can you see a Cain/Perry ticket or a Perry/Cain ticket?"

"As long as I live, John," said Bob, "I'll never understand the success of the Republican party at the detriment of the middleclass. Who votes for all these Republicans, when all they do is to screw us over time and again? Are we all that stupid? Or too busy watching football and drinking beer and just don't care? You'd think the middleclass voter would learn by now that the Republican party only cares about the wealthy and about big business."

"When asked about those that don't have a job and are unable to find work, Herman Cain said, and I quote, Don't blame the banks. The banks have nothing to do with this failed economy."

"What? Huh? Come again? Did he just say that the banks have nothing to do with this failed economy? Are you kidding me?" Bob looked at his friend with shocked disbelief.

"Then, why did we bailout the banks, Mr. Cain? After their Ponzi scheme of hedge funds and derivatives failed, why did the banks evict people from their homes and foreclose on all those houses? The banks were the ones who gave bad mortgages to people that never should have been approved," said John.

"It was all just a scam," said Bob.

"Countrywide Bank and Angelo Mozilo, another one of Bush's buddies, was responsible for 20% of all the questionable mortgages given. Countrywide Bank gave low interest and no interest loans to every politician who closed their eyes to what they were doing, while they earned huge profits and ruin the country. Why wasn't Mr. Mozilo arrested and thrown in jail? Why weren't Bush and Paulson and every Senator who took bribes to close their eyes thrown in jail? They all knew what Countrywide was doing was just building a house of cards," said John.

"Without doubt, it was the banks that started the huge downhill collapse of the stock markets," said Bob was just as angry as John.

"Those out of work should just get off their lazy asses and get a job, said Cain, as he climbed in his brand new, gas guzzling SUV," said John.

"Get a job? What job? There are no jobs," said Bob. "If I was there, when he made that remark, I would have bitch slapped him. Those who have lost their homes, their jobs, and their 401Ks should all bitch slap him. They all should send Herman Cain a bitch slapping message by not voting him in office. He doesn't care about you. Do you understand? None of the Republicans care about you, mister average Joe and miss average Jane."

"Tell me this, with the contempt that Cain has already shown for the middleclass, why would any struggling member of the middleclass vote his ass to Washington? Trust me, he's not good citizen Cain. He's already shown his cards," said John. "He's already played his hand. He's already told us that he doesn't care about the unemployed, the underemployed, and the middleclass as a whole. Game over. Let's send him packing back to his pizza business."

"Well, I'll tell you this. I'll never vote for Cain or for any Republican," said Bob. "Matter of fact, I'll only give my vote to someone who gives me a job."

"With their quick rich schemes, derivatives, hedge fund scams, and forever increasing bank fees, the banks and the insurance companies were the ones who started the economic collapse of housing and mutual fund markets, namely 401Ks," said John. "When all of us were struggling, when all of us were unemployed, when all of us were losing our homes, the banks and the insurance companies, besides the oil companies, were the only businesses making money. Yet, they were all there with their hands out wanting TARP money, while the rest of us couldn't even receive an unemployment extension."

"Tell me about the unemployment extension. I'm still waiting and hoping they approve another unemployment extension," said Bob.

"Obviously, screw the middleclass, Herman Cain is nothing but another non-caring, arrogant, and out of touch Republican hoping to line his pockets by championing the big business agenda," said John.

"I guess he's looking for a few free all expense paid trips, too," said Bob.

"Actually, what he's looking to do is to retire on our dime, while denying the rest of us the mere pittance of Social Security which, by the way, they haven't even so much as given a cost of living raise in two years, until just recently. Even though rent, food, and gas prices have gone through the roof in two years, the government claims that the cost of living hasn't increased enough to give those collecting Social Security a raise. If it was up the Republicans, they'd stop giving people Social Security, which they refer to as entitlements. By the way, did you know that a United States Senator only must serve one term of office, just six years, to receive a full pension and lifetime health insurance?"

"Assholes," said Bob.

"Alas America is filled with duped Americans who think that party or the other party is the answer to their salvation. Instead of having two parties working one against the other for their benefit and in defiance to our benefit, we need to have one party, the American Party," said John. "We need a political party that finally serves the masses and the majority, instead of enriching the minority and instead of one that helps themselves to all that we should be getting. Maybe the movement against Wall Street will create a party that the Tea Party should have been by creating a party that represents the poor and struggling middleclass, the 99% of the country, instead of big business, that filthy rich 1% of the country."

"Yeah, I saw them on the news. It's spreading worldwide. I hope they take over every city in America," said Bob.

"The biggest oxymoron is when a politician calls him or herself a public servant," said John.

"Public servants my ass. Public thieves is more an appropriate term," said Bob.

"Grabbing whatever isn't nailed down for themselves, their families, and as payback to their cronies back home, who helped them get elected and/or reelected in the first place, count your fingers, when shaking hands with one of these thieving bastards and bitches," said John. "If public servitude wasn't so profitable, why do so many averagely wealthy Americans leave office much richer than they were when they served the public?"

"Yeah, the Clintons were desperate for money, until they left the White House and then suddenly between the books they wrote and hawked and the public appearances they were paid to do, they were mega rich," said Bob.

"Do you want to know the real definition of a public servant? They are police officers, prison guards, firemen and firewomen, EMT's, teachers, nurses, social workers, and all the supporting staff that keeps us safe and protected," said John answering his own question again. "For a politician to call him or herself a public servant is an insult to all of those Americans who truly are public servants. How dare they? If they should be called anything, they should be called criminals, felons, guilty as charged, and incarcerated convicts."

"You got that right, John," said Bob.

"Starting with the greatest actor playing his greatest acting role in the history of acting, when President Ronnie opened our borders to Mexico with the Free Trade Act, our factories fled south of the border to proudly proclaim made in Mexico, instead of made in America. His cronies gave him a standing ovation when he sealed the deal and a great sendoff, when he died," said John.

"Yeah, I never liked Ronald Reagan. He stumbled through his speeches in the same way that Bush did," said Bob.

"Anyway, that Republican biased big business legislation was the beginning of the end of our good paying manufacturing jobs and the decimation of the middleclass," said John. "Because of our strict human rights laws, unions, and high hourly price of labor and benefits, as if returning back to the days of the wild west, companies couldn't wait to do business in Mexico to avoid American corporate tax laws. Pulling his strings, telling him what to say and do, President Ron was nothing more than a puppet for a few old, rich, Caucasian men."

"I remember the 70's, when they told us all that computers would create more, better paying, high tech jobs," said Bob. "Huh? Really? Seriously? And we all believed them. Tell me, 40 years later, where are those better paying, high tech jobs now? How many of us are working at better paying, high tech jobs?"

"C'mon, let's see a show of hands," said John looking out over an imaginary crowd of people. "How many of you have a better paying, high tech job? Gees, that's funny. No one has their hands raised."

"It just goes to show you that there are not jobs out there, even for people with skills that were once so in demand," said Bob.

"Okay," asked John rhetorically, "how many of you technical experts are unemployed because these big computer companies closed their operations in the United States and shipped your job overseas? Do you remember Digital, Honeywell, Burroughs, and Prime Computers? Gees, nearly everyone in the room has their hand raised. Hmm, I wonder, do you think that our elected officials, our public servants, (gulp) lied to us?"

"No, that can't be. Say it's not so," said Bob with sarcasm.

"I'll tell you where all of those better paying, high tech jobs are. They went overseas to Bangladesh. Just call Dell's customer service. After waiting half an hour on the line listening to elevator Musak, you'll talk to a representative with a thick accent, someone who's never been in America, but who is quick to tell you that he or she wants to live in America," said John.

"Yet, if you want to order something, actually buy something from the company, instead of asking about your warranty or report a problem with their product, they'll put your call through right away and that's the only time you'll speak with an American," said Bob.

"What does that tell you about this company, their customer service, and about you, the customer? Made in America. We want made in America products," said John. "If we all stopped buying from companies that send our jobs overseas, we'd force these companies to hire misplaced American workers."

"Screw the politicians. Screw waiting for Wall Street," said Bob. "By making our stands against these greedy companies that manufacture in China instead of in America, we, the middleclass, will fix the economy in no time. We all will have jobs."

"They lied when they told us that computers will make for more better paying jobs," said John. "What computers did is to make corporate America more profits by reducing their labor costs by eliminating employees. What computers did was to make a few old, Caucasian men billionaires, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Michael Dell, along with a few dozen others."

"Computers didn't make more jobs, it took away jobs. Instead of more bank tellers, we have ATM machines," said Bob. "The related fees are for our (ahem) convenience, of course. We pump our own gas, instead of having a gas station attendant there to check our oil, wash our windshield, and put air in our tires. Instead of getting off our fat asses and walking the ten steps, we have drive through everything. When calling customer service, we get automated recording after recording, when all we want to do is to speak to a human."

"With nothing changing and everything the same, the 80's, the time of takeovers, was when we had to put up with the Wall Street players, in the role that Michael Douglas played, as Gordon Gekko in the movie, Wall Street," said John.

"Hmm, it makes me wonder if Warren Buffet came up with the name of Geico for his insurance conglomerate from good, old, Gordon Gekko," said Bob.

"We're all a bunch of idiots," said John. "We've all been duped. We deserve what we got, which is nothing but fleeced pockets."

"And even though so many of us are unemployed, they're still trying to fleece whatever we have left," said Bob.

"The middleclass as a whole, the most powerful segment, is the weakest. Too tired to get involved, too dumb to take control of our own lives, we don't realize how much we give up to those who we think have our best interests. If only we took charge of our own destinies, if only we all banded together, Washington, Wall Street, and the world would cater to our every whim and whimsy," said John.